Battle after Victory: Causes of the Post-War Crime Rate Increase (1945–1950)

• Published in: Вестник Кемеровского государственного университета Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 62 - 70
• Main Author: Popova, A. D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kemerovo State University 10.04.2021
• Subjects: amnesty; homelessness; law and order; nationalism; post-war years; soviet militia
• ISSN: 2078-8975; 2078-8983
• DOI: 10.21603/2078-8975-2021-23-1-62-70

The article features the causes of the crime rate increase that occurred in the Soviet Union after World War II. The author studied archival documents of the Chief Department of Gang Prevention, as well as memoirs written by militia officers and common citizens. The increase in gangsterism and crime in general presented a serious challenge for the country that had just won the most terrible war in human history. The author managed to define two major causes of crime rate increase in the post-war years. The first was poverty, homeless children, substandard living conditions, and poor organization of public leisure time. The second included nationalist movements in some ethnic regions, uncontrolled weapon possession, and numerous largescale Bills of Oblivion. The post-war crime rate increase had complex causes and was a serious challenge for militia officers.